Pearl Harbor (珍珠港)

On December 30, 2008, the film “Pearl Harbor” was on TV screen. I have not watched it before, but long before this film, I watched “Tora, tora, tora”(偷襲珍珠港) in the cinema.

The films are very different. Let me compare the films here. First let me call “Pearl Harbor” as Film “P” and “Tora, tora, tora” as Film “T”.

Film “T” concentrates on how the Japanese planned to destroy the American fleet at Pearl Harbour, Honolulu.
Film “P” concentrates on the bombing at the warships at Pearl Harbour and planes at their airfields.










Film “T” contains no love story.
Film “P” contains an awkward love story.










Film “T’ starts on a Japanese warship.
Film “P” starts when two small children flying a plane in America.










Film “T” ends with the speech of a Japanese general, “We have waken a Giant (the Nation of America)!”
Film “P” ends with the two lovers came together with the son the lady bore with the man’s best friend.










Film “T” emphasizes the foolishnesses and over-cautiousness of the American General who needed “Confirmations” or “solid proofs” before they took action. They did not believe the evidence provided by personnel of lower ranks.
Film “P” mentions but emphasizes less on these lines of thought.










Film “T’ does not show much on the tragic sights of American warships being sunk and planes blown up by bombs.
Film “P” shows how the sailors and airmen lost their lives in the air attack. The hospital could only save those who were supposed to have chance to live because there were too many wounded at a time.










Below I present to you the scenes where the Japanese planes bombarded the U.S. fleet at Pearl Harbor. The scenes are as vivid as one driving a Japanese warplane flying over Pearl Harbor dropping torpedoes into the water towards the warships or shooting machine guns at the U.S. warplanes and soldiers on the ground.